That is really the key strategy for the destruction of a democracy- smash the norms, the unwritten rules first- then the written ones will fall almost without effort.

Cross a single big line- like co-opting and corrupting the nation's intelligence services to serve your political ends, and you will be immediately stopped. The discrete event shocks people and institutions and they recoil.

The secret is to start by crossing smaller lines, one after another, so closely spaced that they form a gradual continuum when seen through the lens of the nightly news recap...

We have seen that by doing this you can start with name calling (little Marco, low energy Jeb) and by doggedly crossing one line after another on an hourly basis you can get to the point that you are accusing those investigating your crimes of treason and suggest they deserve the death penalty.

You just need followers so mindless, so invested in the lies, that you can be sure they will never once take a step back to consider their slide down this slippery slope. They wont pause to wonder what they would have thought of the latest outrage 2 years ago...